Government Process
The Justice Department has finalized a process for certain people barred from possessing firearms to apply for restoration of federal rights under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the rule Monday. The Office of the Pardon Attorney will administer applications through a web-based system, evaluate each record and recommend whether relief should be granted. The process revives a statutory mechanism that has effectively been unavailable for decades.
Now for the paperwork underneath the headline. This is not an automatic pardon, expungement or blanket restoration for everyone with a conviction. Applicants must identify the federal disability, provide records about the underlying conduct and show through subsequent conduct, reputation and other evidence that relief would not endanger public safety or be contrary to the public interest. DOJ says violent felons, registered sex offenders, people unlawfully in the country and others presenting an ongoing danger will remain presumptively ineligible absent extraordinary circumstances.
The distinction between federal and state law is critical. A successful application removes only the federal firearm disability addressed by the decision. It does not erase a conviction or override an independent state prohibition. Applicants may need separate advice about the law where they live. The rule also does not guarantee a hearing or approval. The statute gives the attorney general discretion, and the department must explain how it will manage evidence, privacy, review times and challenges to denials.
Congress created the relief authority, but annual appropriations restrictions stopped the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from spending money to investigate applications beginning in the 1990s. DOJ shifted the new program to the Pardon Attorney and budgeted for a digital case-management system. The agency published a proposed rule, accepted public comments and held tribal consultation on records before announcing the final structure. Those steps matter because a press release cannot substitute for a valid rule and functioning portal.
Fox News reported the launch, so I checked the process against DOJ’s official restoration page, the Pardon Attorney’s status page and the statute. Confirmed: the final rule exists and applications are to follow through a federal portal. Unknown: the launch date, caseload, median decision time and approval rate. Red tape can protect fairness or bury it. The first real test will be whether applicants receive clear instructions, predictable evidence standards and understandable decisions rather than a digital queue with no clock. Public reporting on volume and outcomes would make that test possible.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice — Federal Firearm Rights Restoration (08-18-2026)
- Office of the Pardon Attorney — Federal Firearm Rights Restoration under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) (08-18-2026)
- Fox News Digital — DOJ opens new pathway to restore federal gun rights for certain barred individuals (08-17-2026)